AT A GLANCE Project Information
Project Title: Lakes in trouble: Understanding the effect of climate change on threatened ecosystem services of eutrophicated aquatic systems
Lake Taihu in China
future events can be analysed with reference to the changes recorded in the lake’s trophic structures, thus affording Ventelä and her colleagues a glimpse at the shape of things to come. While allowing detailed insights into
the effect of external nutrient loading, the mechanisms underpinning internal nutrient
loading are little studied in
comparison. With NIGLAS’ state-of-the- art hydrodynamic recording equipment it is hoped that the project can offer a greater understanding of regulating
sediment
the processes resuspension.
“Before, we were only able to estimate the role of wind and waves, but now we have got exact values which can be further used in models,” states Ventelä. “That is very exciting and new for us”. In shallow lakes like Pyhäjärvi and Taihu, wind speed goes a great way toward increasing turbidity as nutrient rich sediments are lifted back into the water column, greatly affecting the status quo of nutrient circulation. As more extreme weather conditions and events are predicted in the future, it is likely that these lakes and others will experience greater occurrences of sediment resuspension. One possible mitigating factor
is the
presence of macrophyte coverage in these lakes but the known extent of their influence on nutrient cycling is murky. While observations have noted a greater volume of plankton biomass in open waters than where macrophytes dominate, it is entirely possible that by reducing the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorous they also create favourable conditions for the spread of toxic algal blooms. Completing at the close of 2014, this
collaboration between Finland and China is yet to publish its results but already eyes are being cast to the future. “We
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have a feeling that we have only just started this work and this is really the beginning,” states Ventelä. Though confident that their findings will help bring about more detailed understanding of the driving forces behind eutrophication, there is no illusion regarding the difficulties climate variation presents; effective responses to changes further down the line require
Project Objective: The ultimate aims of the project are: 1) to improve the possibilities to secure the ecosystem services provided by Lake Taihu and Lake Pyhäjärvi also under changing climate, 2) to elucidate the processes involved herein based on new experiments and analyses of data from the lakes, 3) increase the possibilities to adapt the restoration measures to level demanded by climate change, 4) increase research co-operation between China and Finland in the field of aquatic studies.
Project Duration and Timing: 3 years, 2012 to 2014
Project Funding: Academy of Finland
“The approach has to be broader than the lakes themselves. Our message here in Finland is that we really face quite a serious challenge”
adaptable measures but it also takes
decision-makers and local people working together to improve water quality. Policy concerning the quality of Lake Taihu, for example, is still unclear over the part played by catchment, despite 40 million people living within the lake’s watershed. This research aims to strengthen those associations by clearly showing the causes and effects of deteriorating water quality. Without it, it will be difficult to generate cooperative networks willing to apply the science. As Ventelä says, “the approach has to be broader than the lakes themselves. Our message here in Finland is that we really face quite a serious challenge.”
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Project Partners: Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology (Chinese Academy of Sciences), University of Helsinki, Pyhäjärvi Institute
MAIN CONTACT
Anne-Mari Ventelä Anne-Mari Ventelä, Ph.D., is the manager of the long-term restoration program of Lake Säkylän Pyhäjärvi in Finland. She is also the division manager of aquatic environment division in Pyhäjärvi Institute and adjunct professor of aquatic ecology in University of Turku. Her research interests include eutrophication, food web interactions, effect of climatic variation on lake ecosystem.
Contact: Tel: +358 50 370 2919 Email:
anne-mari.ventela@
pji.fi Web:
www.pyhajarvi-instituutti.fi/ english/
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